Many say that football is won or lost in the trenches or that football is a game of inches. From a Strength & Conditioning stand point you have to approach these football sayings from an engaged and non-engaged stand point. When players are engaged in tight confines the battle will generally be won by the player with the greatest strength, power and/or leverage. For the purpose of this post though we will concern ourselves with focusing on drills to improve footwork in tight spaces when the goal is to avoid contact whether it be a receiver catching a ball in tight space where he must maneuver his way quickly around blocks before breaking a long run, a linebacker who must avoid blockers to locate the ball and make a tackle or an offensive lineman who must get off the ball using proper footwork to position himself correctly to apply the type of block needed.
Three common Short Range Agility / Footwork drills we employ at KING Football are:
– Ladder: An excellent way to improve foot speed, agility, coordination and overall quickness. The various patterns employed using the ladder are the most basic footwork drills you can incorporate into your speed and movement program.
– Quick 45s: Similar to the ladder in that it will help improve foot speed, agility and coordination while performing repetitive movements however slightly more advanced because athletes aren’t necessarily performing a pattern but rather are required to move around a target (cone) which may vary their steps.
– Quick Cone Drills to Burst: This drill combines the footwork required to perform both the ladder and the quick 45s with the ability to transition to a straight ahead burst where the athlete will open up their stride while accelerating forward.
Quick Coaching points to emphasize when performing these drills:
– Keep your hips and shoulders square. This is important so that athletes maintain a body position that is ready and capable of either engaging with another athlete or accelerating in open space.
– Tight feet in tight spaces. Big steps in tight spaces lead to instability and poor body positioning. Use big strides in the open field where accelerating is the goal.
– Be Fast. It’s simple but if players don’t push their step rate during these drills their speed will never increase.
Look for Part 3 of our Change of Direction Review on Canada Football Chat where we will explain and provide examples of Mid and Long Range Agility drills used at KING Football.
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Joey Kwasniewski MKin, CSCS
President of KING Football
403.607.8510
[email protected]
kingfootball.ca
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